11/05/24
March 23, 2006
Geeks and Baseball: With the baseball season approaching, it's time to remember how geeks and technology have transformed the game of baseball.
Cool link, though the comments on the site make me long for Sportsfilter. At least until I saw zane's contribution: on a site with four million Owens/Bonds shitfests, you're complaining about this?
posted by yerfatma at 07:16 AM on March 23, 2006
This reminds me about how much grum has contributed to my own personal geek-growth. I used to worship the Holy Trinity of BA, HR and RBIs. Now I know them to be a false idol; a cunning tool of the Baseball Satan. Oh yea, has grum shown me the light! - and the wonderful world of Sabrmatics. OPS, win shares and VORP, oh my!
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 07:44 AM on March 23, 2006
Fun article, but the single paragraph on stats should have been either way, way longer, or way, way shorter: 'Read Moneyball now, and Rob Neyer every day. Everyone else in baseball already has.'
posted by tieguy at 08:17 AM on March 23, 2006
Great article. By this article's -- and most other -- standards, I am definitely a baseball geek (though I'm not into Sabermetrics -- definitely not smart enough for all those formulas). The comments below it are wacked out, though. Is that "Anonymous Fanatic" guy a pschyzo, or what? He bounced around more than yerfatma on a "Red Sox Postseason Move" thread. /rimshot I loved the DePodesta rant, though. That was classic. Can I say how much I like their post-point-system here, or do I have to take it into the Locker Room? That was geeky sweet.
posted by BullpenPro at 08:37 AM on March 23, 2006
Is that "Anonymous Fanatic" guy a pschyzo, or what? Totally can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but I'm assuming that username is the equivalent of Slashdot's Anonymous Coward, i.e., someone who doesn't have an account.
posted by yerfatma at 09:03 AM on March 23, 2006
Totally can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but I'm assuming that username is the equivalent of Slashdot's Anonymous Coward, i.e., someone who doesn't have an account. It's either that or he was arguing with himself.
posted by tron7 at 09:11 AM on March 23, 2006
That was geeky sweet. agreed
posted by tron7 at 09:13 AM on March 23, 2006
I'm assuming that username is the equivalent of Slashdot's Anonymous Coward The first time, I thought it was a unique user name, but when I saw that the same person said "I hate Moneyball because I hate Sabermetrics," and, "Moneyball has nothing to do with Sabermetrics," I hoped hard that it was some kind of generic. I wasn't being sarcastic, though. I was being facetious. The comment wasn't caustic enough to be sarcastic.
posted by BullpenPro at 09:28 AM on March 23, 2006
I had never heard any one compare lasik to steroids, although I'm sure it happens all the time. It seems like a pretty natural comparison, but I don't think quite the same. Lasik is designed to fix a handicap, we would not question a ball player who had recieved steroids as a baby because he or she was born prematurely, or a player who uses albuterol for athsma. I do see the point he is trying to make, maybe some standardization or something is in order?
posted by everett at 09:35 AM on March 23, 2006
I had never heard any one compare lasik to steroids I'm not sure the comparison was supposed to be to LASIK as much as it was to the contact lenses that filter out certain colors to enhance a hitter's view of the baseball. This article is the first time I ever heard of these lenses. I would guess that it would be hard to get rid of these without stepping on regular prescription lenses and glasses. Mulling this over, I'm not sure where I come down on these lenses. Good point, everett.
posted by BullpenPro at 09:50 AM on March 23, 2006
everett: Lasik isn't just for correction of handicaps; players with 20/20 vision have been 'improved' to 20/15. And in most international testing regimes (outside of the pathetic ones in American pro sports) things like albuterol for asthma or propecia for baldness are not given a free pass, even though they are corrective of existing conditions and not taken in order to 'improve'.
posted by tieguy at 10:01 AM on March 23, 2006
If Barry had Lasik done I'm sure it would probably be on par with steroids.
posted by tron7 at 10:12 AM on March 23, 2006
Tie guy, I agree, which is what I was getting at when I suggested some sort of standardization, I'm not really sure how they could do it though.
posted by everett at 01:48 PM on March 23, 2006
If Barry had Lasik done I'm sure it would probably be on par with steroids. i'm sure they could get an operating table on loan from the SF zoo. great article, LOVED the rbi baseball reference. my girlfriend hates my ex-roommate to this day because we would play that game for hours on his old-school nintendo. i love the bats that match the jerseys and hats as well as the music... argh.. i need to get my fix in now...
posted by ninjavshippo at 01:57 PM on March 23, 2006
Could've done without this.